The town clerk position is not a contentious one. It is apolitical, according to the Hamden Democrats’ town clerk candidate.
For this year’s election, Hamden’s Republicans did not nominate a candidate for town clerk.
Endorsed by Lauren Garrett, the new Democratic mayoral candidate, Karimah Mickens secured the town clerk position in the Hamden Democratic primary, beating out Melinda Saller by 1,657 votes.
Mickens will run unopposed in the general election on Nov. 2 and said this will not stop her from her goals of community outreach leading up to the election.
“Whether you voted or you didn’t, I would ask that, if there are concerns or things that [you feel] are not lifted up, reach out to me,” Mickens said. “I have an open-door policy.”
Chair of the Hamden Democratic Town Committee and Garrett’s campaign chair, Sean Grace, agreed.
“I think she’s going to make the [town clerk] office a lot more public in terms of letting folks know what [the office does],” Grace said.
Mickens said the role of town clerk can be improved by better outreach and interaction with Hamden, which is her goal.
”I always say, it’s the most non-political job that there really is,” Mickens said. “I would be the town clerk for all of Hamden.”
In addition to bettering the relationship between Hamden and the town clerk’s office, Mickens looks to make the office more efficient.
“There are always ways to leverage technology,” Mickens said.
“I think for me part of it is just understanding the makeup of our town and making sure that we’re communicating in ways that are helpful for people and making it easier for them to do business.”
Mickens on understanding the community’s needs
Mickens said that one of the skills that she brings to the position of town clerk is identifying areas of improvement.
“I’m a huge collaborator so I know how to build cross-functional teams across different organizations to go towards a common goal,” Mickens said, to which Grace agreed.
Mickens’ resume includes project management leadership, where she said she located problem areas in projects and created more efficient methods.
“I think she’s just going to be very collaborative,” Grace said. “She doesn’t come into this with a big ego. She’s going to come in and work with everyone around her you know, including the mayor’s office.”
Moving forward, Mickens said she wants to be a resource to the community in her campaign efforts moving forward.
“I think coming up with other ways that we can engage the community [is important],” Mickens said. “We can’t hit every door, but are there other forums or things that we can do in a safe space in the midst of COVID to get to know Community members more.”
Grace said he expects Mickens to continue her leadership after the general election.
“She’s a pivotal role,” Grace said. “Karimah is central in everything that we do. She’s part of every conversation. She’s one of our leaders and that’s what I expect she’s going to carry into the office as well.”
To learn more about Mickens, read her candidate questionnaire.
